Draft-equalizer.



No. 651,335. Patented rune r2, I900. J. a J. c. BELL.

DRAFT EQUALIZERZ (Application filed Nov. 24, 1899.)

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JOHN BELL AND JOHN CLYDE BELL, OF HARVEYVILLE, KANSAS.

D RAFT-EQUALIZER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 651,335, dated June 12,1900.

Application filed November 24, 1899. Serial No. 738,200- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern; I

Be it known that we, JOHN BELL and JOHN CLYDE BELL, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Harveyville, in the county of Wabaunsee andState of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Draft-Equalizer, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to draft-equalizers, and has for its object toprovide a construction and arrangement of single and double treeswhereby three draft-animals may be hitched to a wagon or other vehicleor implement so that the draft will be equally distributed upon eachanimal without causing any side draft on the tongue or vehicle.

The detailed objects and advantages of the invention will appear more fullyin the course of the ensuing description.

The invention consists in a draft-equalizer embodying certain novelfeatures and details of construction and arrangement of parts, ashereinafter fully described, illustrated in the drawings, andincorporated in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view showing asuflicient portion of the running-gear of a vehicle to illustrate theapplication of the presentinvention thereto. Fig. 2 is adetailperspective view of the evener. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the rod towhich the intermediate singletree is attached.

Fig.4 is a detail perspective view of one end of the front axle andsuperimposed bolster or sand=board, showing the relation of the draftrodand rope or cable thereto. 7

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in'all thefigures of the drawings. a

In thedrawings we have illustrated a portion of the running-gear of awagon, in which 1 designates the front axle; 2, the rear axle; 3, thereach-bar; 4, the tongue; 5, the front bolster or sand-board, and '6 thed oubletree, which is centrally pivoted at 7 to the tongue in the usualmanner.

In carrying out the present invention We employ an evener 8, which ispreferably formed in one piece from bar iron or steel, bent aboutcentrally to form a connecting portion or end stop 9 and paralleloutwardlyextending members or portions 10. Between the outer extremitiesof these is pivotally mounted a singletree 11, to which one of thedraft-animals is adapted to be hitched. The evener adjacent to its innerend iscurved in semicircular form, as shown at 12, so as to embrace oneend of the doubletree 6, and is pivotally connected to the doubletreeby' Attached to" other singletree 15,'to which another draftanimal mayhe hitched.

The third or intermediate singletree (indi I cated at 16) is connectedpivotally to the forward end of a draft-rod 17, which passes through theeye 14 of the eyebolt' 13 and also over a rest 18,extendingdiametrically across the semicircular portion of the evener ina plane below the doubletree, whereby the draft-rod 17 is confined andallowed to move backward and forward between said rest 18 and thedoubletree, the draft-rodl l being provided with a stop 19, which islocated between the doubletree and the front axle and which acts tolimit the backward and forward movement of the draft-rod. Attached tothe bolster or sand-board 5 is a bracket 20, upon which is mounted aroller 21, disposed horizontally, over and upon which the draft-rod 17slides. The bracket also comprises a vertical portion around which isdisposed a vertical roller 22, which prevents the draft-rod 'and'rope orcable, hereinafter referred to, 'from moving laterally far enough tocome in contact with the wheel at that end of the front axle.

The draft-rod 17 is provided at its rear end with an eye .23, to whichis attached one end of a rope or cable 2i, which extends rearwardly andpasses around a grooved pulley 25, journaled in a bracket 26, connectedto the rear axle 2. After passing around the pulley 25 the cable 24extends forward, passing over the roller 21 and attaching at its forwardend at the point 27 to the evener 8 at a point intermediate-the ends ofsaid evener. The point of attachment of the cable'24 to the evener 8 at27 from the singletree 11 should be equal to the distance between thepivotal point of the doubletree and the point of attachment of thesingletree 15. The distance between the pivotal point 7 and the point ofattachment 27 on the evener should be equal to or greater than thedistance between the pivotal point 7 and the singletree 15 or equal toor greater than the distance between the point 27 and the singletree 11.The distances above set forth should be adhered to in order to producethe best results and effectually equalize the draft on all the animalsand equally distribute the load. The evener 8 is so bent that its outeror projecting portion lies in advance of the longitudinal plane of thedoubletree, so as to throw the singletree 11 ahead of the doubletree. Byreason of the evener embracing the end of the doubletree in the mannershown and described the two parts are braced relatively to each otherand the evener is prevented from tilting downward or sagging, while atthe same time it is free to turn or swing on its pivotal connection withthe doubletree. The eye 14 of the bolt 13 is elongated longitudinally ofthe doubletree, so as to permit of the necessary amount of lateralmovement of the draft-rod 17.

Vhile the pulley 25 is illustrated and described as being mounted on therear axle, it will be understood that said pulley maybe applied to thereach-bar or other part of the running-gear. As the pulling strain isapplied to the intermediate singletree 16 in a forward direction, theevener 8 will bedrawn in an opposite direction through the interpositionof the draft-rod 17 and cable or rope 24, and as a forward pull is givento the singletree 11 a rearward draft will be applied to theintermediate singletree 16, and when the stop 9 comes in contact withthe doubletree the opposite end of the doubletree will also be moved ina rearward direction. It will thus be seen that the draft will beequally distributed upon the three animals,each bearing its proper shareof the burden.

From the foregoing it is thought that the;

construction,operat-ion,and many advantages of the herein-describedinvention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without furtherdescription, and it will be understood that various changes in the size,shape, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantagesof the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a draft-equalizer, the combination with a doubletree pivotallymounted on the tongue, of an evener pivotally mounted on one end of thedoubletree, singletrees on the opposite ends of the doubletree andevener, an intermediate sin gletree, and a flexible connection betweensaid intermediate singletree and the evener, whereby a reverse movementis imparted to the evener when a forward pull is given to theintermediate singletree, substantially as described.

2. In a draft-equalizer, the combination with a centrally-pivoteddoubletree havinga singletree at one end, of an evener pivotally mountedon the opposite end of the doubletree, a singletree connected with theouter end of said evener, an intermediate singletree, a draft'rodconnected thereto, and a rope or cable connected to said draft-rod andpassin g around a pulley connected to the runninggear, and alsoconnected to the evener at a point intermediate the ends of the latter,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a draft-equalizer, the combination with a centrally-pivoteddoubletree having a singletree at one end, of an evener pivotallymounted on the opposite end of the doubletree and having a stop whichcooperates with the doubletree to limit the forward swinging movement ofthe evener, a singletree at the outer end of said evener, and anintermediate singletree connected with the evener in such manner as toexert the pull thereon in a direction opposite to that in which theintermediate singletree is moved, substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

4. In a draft-equalizer, a doubletree having a singletree at one end, anevener pivotally mounted on the opposite end of the doubletree andcarrying a singletree at its outer end, an intermediate singletree,connections between said singletree and the evener for imparting areverse movementto the evener, and a rest on the evener across which thedraft-rod moves and upon which it is supported, substantially asdescribed.

5. In a draft-equalizer, the combination with a doubletree having asingletree at one end, of an evener pivotally mounted on the oppositeend of the doubletree and carrying a singletree at its outer end, anintermediate singletree,operative connections between said intermediatesingletree and the evener for imparting a reverse movement to theevener,

and a roller adjacent to the front axle over which said connectionspass, substantially as set forth.

6. In a draft-equalizer, the combination with a doubletree having asingletree at one end, of an evener pivotally mounted on the oppositeend of the doubletree and carrying a singletree, an intermediatesingletree, operative connections between said intermediate singletreeand the evener for imparting a reverse movement to the evener, and a vertically-disposed roller for preventing said connections from coming incontact with the adjacent wheel of the machine, substantially asdescribed.

7. In a draft-equalizer, the combination with a doubletree having asingletree at one end, of an evener pivotally mounted on the oppositeend of the doubletree and carrying a singletree at its opposite end, anintermediate singletree, a draft-rod connected to said intermediatesingleti'ee and provided with a stop between the donbletree and frontaxle of the machine, and a flexible connection between said draft-rodand the evener for imparting a reverse movement to the evenei',

substantially as and for the purpose set forth. In testimony that Weclaim the foregoing as our own we have hereto affixed our signatnres inthe presence of two witnesses.

JOHN BELL. JOHN CLYDE BELL.

Witnesses:

GEO. G. WAUGH, C. E. EDLIN.

